The invention is concerned with a sealing device for the closure of puncture holes in blood vessels.
In the case of invasive investigations and intervention in medical practice, it is necessary that access be gained to the system of blood vessels in question (arterial or venous). This can take place surgically by direct vision or by way of percutaneous puncture whereby the blood vessel must first be located “blind” with a hollow needle (so-called feeling with the needle). After feeling with the needle, a tracer is then inserted through the needle into the blood vessel. When the positioning of the tracer has been verified, the needle is removed over the tracer. Next, a dilator is pushed in over the tracer with the objective of making the puncture opening large enough to position a so-called “sheath” or “introducer” in the blood vessel. This sheath consists of a hollow tube made of plastic whereby one extremity, which is open, is pushed up into the blood vessel and the other extremity, which is sealed by a so-called “hemostatic valve”, is left outside the body. The hemostatic valve is made of rubber and is designed in such a way that objects (in particular, tracers and catheters) can be inserted through it into the sheath and can then be withdrawn again through it without this leading to blood being lost out of the sheath. The dilator is removed after the sheath has been inserted into the blood vessel by passing it over the dilator. In this way, an access route to the blood vessel remains open through which tracers, catheters etc. can be inserted with ease. The sheath is removed from the blood vessel after the procedure is finished. As a result, an opening remains in the blood vessel (the so-called puncture site) through which blood can flow to the outside (bleeding). In order to stanch bleeding from the puncture site, the blood vessel must be closed by applying pressure (pressing) in order to allow time for the blood clotting mechanism to form a clot at the puncture site. Depending on whether the patient has had larger or smaller amounts of anti-clotting agents (anticoagulants), the time over which pressure has to be applied varies, in the case of an arterial puncture, from 15 minutes to more than an hour. Once the bleeding has stopped, an elastic bandage (pressure bandage) is placed over the site of the puncture; this exerts pressure to as to prevent the blood clot from being washed away by the pressure in the blood vessel which can easily happen, especially in the case of an arterial puncture. This pressure bandage must remain in place for some time, varying from clinic to clinic from 8 to 24 hours. During the period of time that the pressure bandage is in place, the patient must remain resting in bed. After removing the pressure bandage, the patient can become mobile again. After an intra-arterial examination, this usually means, in practice, that the patient must stay in the hospital overnight and then go home the following morning.
The procedure is associated with quite a few complications which are inherent in the technique which is currently used. Thus intense bleeding can occur in addition to aneurysms (outward swellings of the wall of the blood vessel at the site of the puncture) and pseudo-aneurysms (whereby a passage exists, via the puncture site, between the lumen of the blood vessel and a clot situated around the blood vessel (hematoma). Arteriovenous fistulas (passages between the arterial and venous systems of blood vessels) can also arise. Neighboring nerves can also become pinched if bleeding is sufficiently profuse, resulting in pain, sensation disturbances or even paralysis of the groups of muscles which are innervated by these nerves. These complications arise in approximately 1% of all procedures. Surgical intervention is sometimes necessary whereby the hematoma is relieved and puncture site is sutured over (and, if required, any fistula is sealed).